Demonstrators call for Secretary of State’s resignation
Author: MB

Sat 30/12/2017 - 15:45MBOver 200 people took part in a demonstration outside Brussels Central Station on Saturday calling for the resignation of the Federal Secretary of State responsible for asylum and migration policy Theo Francken (Flemish nationalist).

The demonstration was called by the Francophone undocumented migrants’ rights pressure group Coordination des Sans-Papiers (Coordination of the undocumented).

The demonstrators issued “an order to leave the government” to Mr Francken who has been in the eye of a political storm in recent weeks after some Sudanese transit migrants that had been repatriated claimed that they had been tortured on their return to Sudan.

Earlier this weeks a demonstration called in support of Mr Francken attracted just a dozen participants.

“A private company would already have sacked Francken”

Mr Francken has come under yet more fire in recent days after it emerged that he had been economical with the truth when answering questions about the deportation of Sudanese undocumented migrants.

He had told parliament that no more deportations were planned. However, this proved not to be the case.

Serge (who did not give his surname) of Coordination des Sans-Papiers told the press agency Belga that "Theo Francken is like a horse with two broken legs that still thinks that he can complete the race”.

"He has lied to the government and to parliament. A private company would have shown him the door long before now”.